Much energy is uselessly wasted today because end-users do not have a straightforward scheme for identifying and resolving inefficiencies throughout a monitored electrical system. Power factor correction is a time-consuming, tedious task that is extremely complex and intimidating for the end-user. In a typical installation that includes hundreds of monitoring devices, transformers, and other equipment, attempting to determine where power factor correction opportunities exist is a severely daunting proposition. Most end-users simply do not even try to identify these opportunities or resort to guesswork or quasi-guesswork that either does not result in an optimal power factor correction or, worst still, results in a leading power factor, which accelerates energy consumption.
One type of apparatus that can adversely impact an electrical system's power factor is the electric motor. Many studies have shown that motors in industrial facilities consume by far the largest percentage of energy of any electrical device used in the U.S. electrical infrastructure. Tens of billions of kWh are consumed by motors each year accounting for over 25% of all electricity sales in the U.S. The most common type of motor in use today is the polyphase induction motor, over 90% of which are squirrel cage induction motors. Because of their prevalence throughout industrial and commercial sectors, polyphase induction motors offer a great potential savings opportunity in both energy and operational costs throughout the motor's useful life.
What is needed, therefore, are automatic power factor correction methods that provide recommendations on ameliorating power factor for reducing a utility bill, releasing capacity on the electrical system, reducing losses, and improving voltage based on knowledge of an automatically determined hierarchy of an electrical system. The present disclosure is directed to addressing these and other needs.